Return of Love
by Rosie eisoR
Summary: Kel, Joren, Jodi, Xavier and Adele visit Neal. Prequel to Jodi of Stone Mountain. Over. Should not be touched with a barge pole, used to measure author's progress.
1. Unfolding

Joren stood with the other knights in the courtyard. He was leaning back, to eavesdrop on the people behind. It was between Kel's friends.

"...haven't seen her since just after we were knighted. She seems to have completely vanished." That was Neal. He was 3 years older than Joren, and had an inconvenient tongue.

"I heard some fool got her pregnant. I'd like to meet the idiot, if Kel hasn't got him already." Cleon had been in love with Kel for years. He had never told her, but it was obvious.

At the redhead's words, Joren's blue eyes widened. No, it wasn't...

The youngest in the group, Owen piped up, "Word has it that he left her pretty quickly. Never found out she was pregnant."

The door opening to admit the very object of their conversation interrupted their chatter. In fact, the whole room fell silent. She stood, uncertain of what to do.

Garvey muttered in a low tone, "Look, it's the Lump."

Joren felt angry. "You really shouldn't put yourself down Garvey."

He turned at the pat on his shoulder. Kel was exactly the same as before. "Sir Joren, I am a knight in my own right, and I am perfectly capable of telling a silly joker like that what is polite, and what should be kept in his own fat mouth." Her face was close to his, and filled with emotion. Now they were nearer, he saw her hazel eyes were tired, but there were no lines in her face.

She turned away, to her friends. "Neal! So you ARE a daffodil."

"Where have you been, Kel?"

"Raising my daughter."

"Who's the father? Who left you?"

Kel was cornered. She couldn't tell them. "Nice month, for a war." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joren coming over. Even now, her heart skipped.

"Might I talk to you, Sir Keladry?"

"Is it worth the effort?" He drew her out of the yard.

Minutes later, those gathered there heard Kel's raised voice, and the urges Joren gave to quieten her. "No, I won't. Those who can't deal with it shouldn't listen." A low voice could not be comprehended. "How do you propose to commit suicide, then?" There was a BANG, and a cry of pain. "No, it was YOU. Don't blame it on me!"

Another loud bang, then Kel appeared with a confused Joren behind her.

"What did you do to him? Why does he want to commit suicide?"

"Nothing - I kicked the wall, in frustration. As to your second question, he offered to kill the father of Jodi."

Neal put two and two together, and came up with Joren and Kel. "You didn't" She began to cry.

"Kel! What were you thinking?"

Kel's face twitched, and she let out a sigh. "I - nothing. I don't know. He just left me. Didn't even know I was pregnant."

Prince Roald placed a gentle hand on her back. "It's all right," he murmured. But it wasn't, and all of them knew it.

--

The war had started because Scanra believed it could defeat Tortall. Now the Copper Isles and Carthaki renegades had joined Scanra in its quest for revenge. The Yamani Islands, Maren, Galla and Tyra were Tortall's allies. Tortall had the upper hand, having more allies, weapons, powerful mages including a WildMage, and, of course, the Dominion Jewel. Not to mention a sixteen-year-old dragon and a basilisk among their immortals.

Regardless of this, Scanra fought on. The Copper Isles and Carthaki had nothing to lose, so they also attacked with a fierceness never shown before. The knights of Tortall were in the thick of the fighting. Kel was thrilled to see her heroine in action. Alanna was ferocious, particularly when someone threatened her son, or the King. Kel had been assigned to assist Roald. As the heir to the throne, and the key to their alliance with the Yamani Islands, he could not be risked.

Daine was guarding the mages with a bow and arrow. Catching Kel's eye on her once, she winked, and said, "I don't trust anyone else to defend me." Kel had grinned, remembering that Daine was endlessly gifted with the weapon she wielded.

Joren seemed to be battling endlessly. Kel only saw his mare riding to and from battle.

One morning, Roald was in the healer's tents, helping. He had been bored, since no enemy got as far as the position he and Kel held. Having no magical Gift, Kel decided to attack with the army. The troops were lined up before battle, being inspected by Lord Wyldon.

A horn blast sounded, startling the horses. A skittish mare further down the line bucked nervously, tossing her rider.

Kel watched, horrified, as Joren landed.

"Stop," Lord Wyldon commanded. Kel ignored him, and dismounted. "Sir Keladry, care to explain the meaning of 'Stop'?"

"Find a dictionary," she called back. She continued to run, until Lord Raoul planted himself in front of her. She glared at her former knight- master. "You are no healer, Kel. We need you to fight for us."

Resentfully, Kel agreed.

Her fire in battle that day was astounding. None of the foe that got near her survived. She was formidable. The enemy retreated early, having too many dead or injured to carry on.

"Well done," said Lord Wyldon. "Glad to see you're putting that emotion to good use." Once again, Kel ignored him. She just wanted the war to end.

An idea struck. She dressed in her finest kimono and hid a sword underneath.

--

The enemy decided to withdraw from the war. Kel had managed to kill a Scanran prince, a Copper Isle queen and a Carthaki general. When congratulated on finishing the war, she shrugged and replied, "They should be more careful about letting women into their camps."

As soon as possible, she took Joren back to her house, in Paisleigh. He remained comatose, despite everyone's efforts to the contrary.

--


	2. Awakening

And then, one day, the Tortallan knight opened his eyes. He found himself in a fairly small stone room.

A fair-haired girl peeked through the door at him. She blinked hazel eyes rapidly, before calling, "Mama, he's awake!"

A hand pulled the young child out of the room.

"Don't excite your mother like that. Goddess knows why you are so eager for him to wake." Joren grinned, recognising Neal's resentful tone.

"But, he really is awake. I seen him."

"I saw," was her reply. "Not one word about your father. She'll only get worked up."

Sitting up in bed, Joren was only able to catch snatches of the downstairs conversation, though he was listening intently.

"I think he'll wake up soon."

"I hope he doesn't."

"Nealan of Queenscove, don't you dare give the gods ideas."

"Do you really want him to wake up? He might not love you."

"I'll enjoy my hope, thank you very much."

"Why do you love him?" Joren lost the drift of the talk, and then picked it up again.

"Come to Corus. You're a hero, after the war."

"Heroine, Neal. No, Joren needs me."

"Joren needs no one."

"Then I'll rephrase it. No, I will not come until Joren is awake."

"Fine, I'll leave it there before I get thrown out."

Through the floor, he could hear Kel's rueful laugh. "I take it Merric told you?"

"You can't fault someone for expressing an opinion."

"I wonder if I cared to hear Queen Florence's opinion before she died."

Neal chuckled. "Very subtle. Anyway, you and your family are invited to stay with Katherine and me soon." He hesitated. "That includes Joren. IF he wants."

Joren heard no more, as he fell back into darkness.

--

The next time he woke, someone was in the room. He relaxed when he saw the glaive in her hand; it was Kel. He smiled, remembering her dawn exercises, which had never been broken that he knew of.

He got out of bed. The room spun, and then settled into place. He wrapped his arms around Kel. "Finally," she murmured, tilting her head back to kiss him. "Did I take too long, then?"

"A month."

"When did the war end?" She gave a mysterious smile.

A reproachful voice from the door spoke instead of her. "You promised you'd tell me when he woke up."

"'He' only just woken up this minute," Joren told his daughter.

Her hazel eyes, so like Kel's, lit up. "Jodi," Kel said. "Come and meet your father."

Joren knelt. The only other person he had ever been unsure with was Kel herself. After all, he had left because he thought that she was too nice to tell him that she didn't want him around. Now it seemed she hadn't wanted that at all.

Jodi had none of his inhibitions, however, and ran into his arms, shrieking with joy as he lifted her up. "Mama, does this mean we're a family?"

Kel took her child off Joren. "Stop asking questions. Off to bed." A blank expression had overtaken her features as she ushered the girl out of the room. Just before she closed the door, she turned back. "You should sleep too." A smile, sad as it was, lit her face as she spoke.

--

Joren could hear Kel and Jodi talking quietly. "Isn't he staying? Why do I have to go to bed now? Do you want him to stay?"

"You, my girl, are turning into Neal. He's only woken up a while ago. I don't know what will happen." Jodi seemed to be satisfied by this; she agreed to go to bed.

Kel slipped into Joren's room. Hands on hips, she faced him. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Have you reached a decision?"

He made his right then. "Yes."

She turned away. "Oh. Then, could you leave as soon as possible? I don't want Jodi getting too attached. She...she..."

"Kel?" Awkwardly, Joren stood. "Am I not allowed to stay?" She whipped round, tears on her smiling cheeks.

"Stay? I thought-" "I would like nothing better." Her face relaxed, and that little space between them; the coldness of years, vanished.

--

It was awkward, Joren found, slipping into an established family. Though there was only two of them, they had a close-knit routine, that Joren seemed to manage to upset at every turn.

Eventually, they managed to settle down, to accommodate Joren as well - but as soon as that came along, Kel discovered that she was pregnant again. With twins.

"If either of them are anything like Jodi," Kel said drowsily, one night in front of the fire, "I think we're going to need a lot of help."

Joren simply smiled in response.


	3. MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Nealan of Queenscove opened a letter. Five minutes into it, he began to laugh.

"Neal? What does it say?" asked his wife Katherine, opening her own letter.

"It's from Owen. Kel, Joren and their children paid a visit to Jesslaw. The two girls, Jodi and Adele, chased him up a tree, while the boy, Xavier, hinted about chopping the tree down. Owen said he was afraid for his life!"

Katherine grinned, then cast her brown eyes onto the paper. She laughed. "Beware of trees."

"Sorry?"

"Nothing." Her Yamani looks were smooth.

Neal tried to guess what she was thinking, but, like Kel, she covered up too well.

"Lady Katherine, I do believe you are hiding something."

Her brown eyes glinted. "I do believe I am."

He groaned in frustration. "Give me a clue?" She took him by the hand, and led him outside.

"Horses."

"Horses? Horses...outside...trees..." In the distance, horses could be seen dragging a carriage. "Who's coming?" Neal enquired.

His wife ignored him. The horses drew nearer. Finally, they pulled up in the courtyard. The door on the side opened and out jumped- "Kel?"

The tall brunette ran up to Neal. "Well it's hardly likely to be the Stump," she joked.

He groaned again. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Kel glanced at Katherine.

A nod replaced the smile a non-Yamani would have chosen. "Owen wrote," she said simply.

Neal nodded. He frowned at the children who had clambered out of the carriage, although not seriously. "I hear you've got yourselves into mischief recently. Behave yourselves here."

The three children gazed angelically up at Neal. "We would never do anything like that to you," they chorused, with shy smiles. Neal looked pleased. "See, all you need to do is-"

He frowned; Kel and Joren, recently out of the coach, were laughing. "What?"

"They said that to all the others," Kel gasped. "Just how many lives have these three wrecked?"

"Oh, only ten..." Kel's face crinkled into a smile, much like that of her children. "In the last three visits."

Katherine smiled politely. "Now Neal, your mouth looks silly like that. Jodi, Adrian is helping cook; Adele, Carlotta is by the pond; Xavier, Damien is grooming Starnight. And," her voice grew dangerous, "If so much as the knocking of a stone reaches my ears, you will be beaten day and night for a month."

"Oh, and that's just for Adrian, Carlotta and Damien. You three will be strung up by your ankles, with no food from the low bridge at home. In winter," she added quickly.

Adele, Jodi and Xavier looked suitably frightened as they walked off. Neal raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that slightly cruel?"

Joren, Kel and Katherine looked at each other. "You wouldn't been saying that if you'd seen some of the people we've visited's homes." Kel grinned. "I think we should go and stay with Zahir again."

"I don't think Vinson will ever go out of his fief again."

Neal linked arms with Kel. "Now, Sir Keladry, you will tell me everything." Kel, about to obey her friend, saw a servant, breathless and red-in-the- face, run up. "Lady Katherine, Sir Nealan, the – pond-" he forced out between desperate pants for air.

Kel and Joren exchanged glances. "No," was cried simultaneously, and both knights made a run for the area indicated by the puffed-out servant. The pond was reached. A nursemaid, wet and grumpy, was climbing out of the water. Adele and Carlotta were calmly picking herbs from the nearby garden.

Kel grabbed her daughter's arm. "What have you done?" Adele's face was completely innocent, and made Neal feel a twinge of pity for the six-year-old. "I didn't know that if you pushed her, she'd fall. It's not my fault."

"It was the only one," Joren reminded her.

"Sir Nealan, the stables have fallen!"

"Lady Katherine, the kitchens are aflame!"

Kel turned to her husband. "You were saying?"

"Maybe we shouldn't go to the palace with Jodi." Neal's eyes glinted. "Oh, do, do!" he pleaded.

"The Stump, and my children. Hmm, maybe you're right." Kel winked at Joren.


End file.
